You are here

How Meditation Benefits Everyone Around You

For most of us, our ego began to develop when we were young children. We learned the word “mine” and how to manipulate our parents by being nice, nasty, or stubborn. As we continued growing, the ego grew too, serving a useful purpose in helping us to organize our education, careers, and families.

For many people, the ego continues to dominate throughout their lives. George Harrison’s song, I, Me Mine may be your anthem and “what’s in it for me” is their mantra. For other people, there comes a realization that there’s more to life than personal gratification and they ask themselves, “How can I serve?” This is when the spiritual journey begins.

Some people choose to help others while still expecting something in return. Others choose to practice selfless service, not expecting anything in return. My own reason for learning meditation some 45 years ago was, certainly on the surface, purely selfish. The benefits were being scientifically documented, and meditation seemed to offer an exotic-sounding way to improve my health and well-being.

My experience now, as a teacher, has been that the vast majority of people who learn meditation also come seeking personal benefits—and meditation rarely disappoints. It has transformed my life and the lives of millions throughout the world. Interestingly though, whether the motivation is purely selfish, completely selfless, or somewhere in between, meditation accommodates all.

Transforming Yourself Transforms the World Around You

This is where the spiritual magic begins. As you transform yourself, the world around you cannot help but be transformed also. Vedanta tells us that the Universe is a projection of consciousness so, as you become healthier, happier, and more peaceful, this automatically reflects in the world you create around you. Deepak Chopra has said, “Social transformation comes from personal transformation.”

In his Yoga Sutras, Patanjali tells us that, “When we are established in Ahimsa (non-violence), all around us become peaceful, even the wild animals forget their nature of causing pain.”

There is a story of a great saint who lived a simple, humble life. One day God appeared to the saint and said, “Because of your great saintliness, I would like to grant you any wish you choose.” Because he was very humble, the saint replied that there was nothing he needed but God insisted. “Alright,” the saint conceded, “Make it that everyone I encounter is helped in some way by my mere presence, but without knowing it’s because of me.”

To a lesser degree, this is what happens as a result of your own regular meditation practice. You radiate the benefits to everyone you meet, whether your motivation is selfish or selfless. However, like the saint, it’s important to remain humble. Your own transformation and the effects you share come from inner silence, not external noise.

How Meditation Benefits Everyone Around You

During your meditation practice, your vibrational frequency rises, creating an increase in your own coherence or inner harmony. At certain points in deep meditation, mental activity stops and the two hemispheres of the brain harmonize completely. As a result of meditation, your coherence becomes like an aura of harmony filling the space surrounding you, directly benefiting those in close proximity.

When you meditate in a group, you share in each other’s coherence. Collective coherence created by a group is greater than the sum of the amounts of coherence being created by each individual meditator. This collective coherence then radiates out for the betterment of society.

If enough people are meditating or practicing similar techniques to expand their awareness, we will reach what is known as critical mass. This is the number whose effect is large enough to influence the whole world. Deepak predicts the number for this critical mass to be around one billion. This may sound like a lot but the good news is that not everyone has to be meditating to create a worldwide transformation into peace, compassion, and harmony. However, there has to be enough people and it’s up to each of us to do our part.

On a more localized level, if a friend or relative is unwell or needs help in some way, meditating with them, even if they don’t meditate, will have a beneficial effect. I remember when I was studying with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, someone was bemoaning the fact that his parents weren’t interested in learning to meditate. “Don’t worry about it,” Maharishi said, “Just by your own meditation, your parents are being helped many times over.” In the Vedas, it also says that by following a spiritual path, you can benefit the previous seven generations who have lived before you.

However, a word of caution: Whether you are helping someone through the effects of your meditation or by other acts of kindness, it’s very important to take care of yourself first. A sick or needy person will draw on your energy so you should always stay aware of your own energy levels. You need to be strong and energized to serve the world effectively.

How to Tap into Cosmic Energy

Whenever working with other people, I recommend tapping into the Cosmic Energy (Love, Light)—the cosmos have infinite resources. A simple technique for this is to follow these steps:

Move your awareness to your crown chakra (top of your head) and take a few breaths here.

Now become aware or imagine a tube of light rising upward from the top of your head.

Still conscious of your breathing, allow your awareness to begin rising slowly up this tube of light.

Continue rising until you become aware or imagine reaching your Higher Self about 2 to 3 feet above your head (your Higher Self is actually non-local but the process is easier, at least in the beginning, if we think of it in a fixed place).

With an in-breath, begin drawing that Energy down through the tube of light and in through the top of your head.

Breathe it down to your heart center; fill your heart center.

Now as you exhale, allow that Energy to expand to all the different parts of your body. Fill your whole body with Cosmic Energy. Feel every cell charged with Cosmic Energy.

If you wish, you can expand the Energy beyond your physical body into your subtle body, to create a halo of energy around you.

You can use this Energy for good, in whatever way you choose. You can direct it to flow out through your hands, you could project it from your heart center, or you can keep it within to maximize your own energy. The great advantage of working with Cosmic Energy in this way is whatever you share with others is coming through you and not from you. With practice, you can share Energy, Love, or Light all day without feeling tired or drained. All the Energy flowing though you will be energizing you.

Whether your motives for practicing meditation are personal or more altruistic, the effects for the world will be the same. Everyone benefits!

Deepen your meditation practice at our 7-day meditation & yoga retreat, Seduction of Spirit. This is a chance to renew your strength and become more deeply connected to who you truly are and what you want most in life. Click here to learn more.

Born in Liverpool, England, Roger Gabriel spent his formative years in the United Kingdom and first learned meditation there in the early 1970s. It instantly became his passion and he soon trained to be a meditation teacher under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After moving to the U.S., Roger began studying Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of health care. In 1985, while helping to establish centers for Ayurveda and meditation, he met and became friends with Deepak Chopra. Since then, Roger has assisted Deepak with numerous training programs, seminars, and workshops; taught thousands of people on all continents to meditate; and helped to train hundreds of people to become teachers of meditation, Ayurveda,...Read more

Stay Connected

Get the latest wellness and lifestyle articles straight to your inbox each week.